The Winds That Carry Me
by Rilinzil
Summary: Arlin lives in Rohan and all her life she has wanted to have an adventure of her own. Sometimes though you have to be careful what you wish for.
1. Chapter One:The Past

The cool morning breeze blew through her hair and made the skirt of her dress ripple. A small shiver went down her spine as the cool and crisp morning air blew on. She turned her deep brown eyes to the hill nearby on which the Golden Hall lay in its magnificence. Inside dwelt their honest and beloved king, Eomer. There had been may rumors of late though the Eomer had fallen ill from some mysterious disease and no cure had so fair been found. None of the people had seen the king about on his usual rides around the city for days and his scared them. Many began to fear the worst that their caring king had truly fallen gravely ill. Due to this suspicions riders had been set out from the town to fetch Eomer's friend and great healer Aragorn. The people hoped that he would be able to cure the king from what ailed him.  
"Arlin!" A voice cried from the nearby hut. The young woman sprung around and hurried into the hut. She then ran over to the nearby bed and knelt beside. She then gingerly took her mother's hand into her own.  
"What is it mother?" Arlin implored softly looking into her mother's sad and deep blue eyes. The older woman lifted her withered and wrinkled hand from her daughter's and raised it to stroke her daughter's long brown hair.  
"I was hoping that you could fetch me some water," the older woman stated in a thin and warm voice. Arlin simply nodded and then slowly rose next to the bed. She smiled kindly at her sickly mother and then headed back out of the door of the little hut that she and her mother call home. Arlin made her way to the back of the hut where the well was located. As she began to pull the bucket up from the well she thought about her mother's current condition.  
She had been sick for two years now. No one was totally sure what it truly was. Many thought it to be simply old age mixed with a broken heart that had set Arlin's mother into her current condition. Four years ago Arlin's father had been hunting with a few of his friends when an accident had occurred. What the accident exactly was neither Arlin nor her mother had never learned, but the accident had left Arlin's father and one of this other friend's dead. The death of her father had greatly affected Arlin and she had found herself more distant from others. Before she would relish the trips into town to converse with and see all the other people that lived in Edoras. She loved the sights and the smells of the market. After the passing of her father though Arlin had found that these trips had brought her less joy than they had before infact she began to loath the trips in which she would have to stand before the public eye. Much of her time the past four years had been working the small garden that her family owned. Two years after her father had died though Arlin's mother had fallen gravely ill had kept mostly to her bed. Arlin had had to take all responsibilities upon herself which included caring for the garden as well as taking care of the family's only horse that had been her father's. She all had to make weekly trips to the town to buy and sell goods so that she and her mother could have what they needed to survive. With the little money they made from the garden they were able to get by.  
Arlin sighed as she poured some of the water from the now fill bucket into a glass for her mother. Arlin had always dreamed of having a very different life. One filled with excitement and adventure. She wanted to make something of herself and be able to leave everything else behind. Her life though was a very different story. It was one filled with trials and loses. Her life was destined to be one brimming over with hardships not one full of exciting adventures.  
"It's just as well," Arlin thought aloud as she headed back around the house with the now full glass in her hand. As she reached the front of her house she came to an abrupt halt. Just outside her door stood a man dressed in the finest clothes she had ever seen. There seemed to be a very arrogant air about him. He appeared to be waiting for someone and Arlin immediately wondered whom. She and her mother never got visitors especially ones of noble birth.  
"May I help you sir?" Arlin inquired as stepped to the front of the house. The man jumped slightly startled for he had not seen or heard Arlin approaching. She turned to face her and a large smile appeared on his face.  
"Well I most certainly hope that you can," the man stated a sound of annoyance almost apparent in his voice. 


	2. Chapter 2:Durithil

Disclaimer:Ok so I own like nothing. I'm not a genius like Tolkien who can come up with all of this great stuff. So I just use most of his stuff and add a twist to it. I do own Arlin and her family and most the character surrounding her though. Want to use any of my characters in your story just ask. I'll probably say yes. Hey people thanks a lot for the reviews means so much to actually get some reviews on my story. Well hope you like the rest of the story and keep reviewing! (  
  
Anyways without further ado Chapter two  
  
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"You see I came to inquire about your horse," the nobleman explained.  
"My horse?" Arlin asked in slight confusion looking to the right side of the house where her father's beloved horse stood happily grazing nearby.  
"Yes, I wish to inquire about the price of your horse," the nobleman insisted. A look of annoyance and impatience was now noticeable throughout his features. Arlin continued to gaze at her father's horse, who now gently lifted his head from the grazing and now looked intently towards Arlin. At the man's harsh sounding words the stallion perked his ears forward as if to listen to the conversation. Arlin didn't notice the noble man's change in expression but she did recognize his drastic change in tone. She didn't like at all how he spoke to her as though she were a child or a being so far below him that she was no better than a common barn animal.  
"Are you even listening to me!" the man demanded. Arlin though startled by the man's sudden scream did not even flinch but simply slowly turned to face him. She dared not look into his face for fear that he would take offense due to the face he was of a higher class then she. From what she could tell from the little she knew about the man was that he was probably only a few years older than she, possibly twenty-three or twenty- four.  
"Why may I ask do you even want my father's horse?" Arlin asked earnestly. She had no idea why a nobleman would want her father's old horse. It seemed so strange especially when there were probably a million other horses for the nobleman to choose from. She did not understand what was so special about her father's, even though she did indeed love her father's horse very much.  
"There are not many black horses left in Rohan and I intend to have one for myself," the nobleman explained.  
"Well I'm afraid to tell you that this horse is not for sale," Arlin stated flatly.  
"Name you price," the man insisted, "Everything has a price. I will offer you as much as you ask for him."  
"Some things do not have a price," Arlin explained solemnly keeping her voice calm although she was beginning to become worried by the way the man spoke.  
"I'm afraid that priceless or not I will have your horse," he stated.  
"I'm afraid that it's not going to happen," Arlin replied tentatively for fear as to how the man would react, "He's the only horse we have."  
"You can always buy another," the nobleman insisted haughtily, "Now if you don't mind I must be getting my horse." As he finished talking the man pushed Arlin to the ground and advanced towards the unsuspecting stallion. As the nobleman came close to the horse the stallion began to prance around anxiously too sure what to make of the unfamiliar person.  
Arlin slowly got up from the ground still in shock that the man had knocked her to the ground. Her right arm and head ached and throbbed. She did not know what to do now there was no way for her to overpower the man and stop him. By the time Arlin was able to get her bearings the man had already taken hold of the stallion's lead rope and was attempting to lead him away. The stallion reluctant to go anywhere reared up pulling the lead rope from the man's hands. The man began to curse angrily at the stallion and began to make idle threats. Arlin was forced to look on helplessly.  
After several attempts the man was able to grab a hold of the lead rope and this time he was determined not to let go of it. By this time the stallion had grown tired from all of his flailing in attempts to keep the man away. The nobleman sneered in triumphant and began to lead his prize away. Arlin not sure what to do stood helplessly watching as he father's horse was led away. She knew that there was nothing she could do. If she tried to stop the man he could easily overpower her and he would still get the horse. There was no way she could ask anyone for help the man was infact a nobleman while she herself was nothing but a lowly peasant.  
Arlin though was not going to let her father's horse be taken away. At that moment a rash plan formed in her head. She would follow the nobleman and eventually steal the horse back. She would just have to be careful though and make sure the man never knew she was following. She would finally get to go on her adventure though it was certainly not what she had expected it to be. Arlin had no idea where she was going where this man was going to lead her. In a way though this though excited her, finally she would get to leave her small house and see new places filled with new people. She could finally become something; she could finally make something of herself.  
Without a single thought, Arlin slowly began to follow the man making sure that she kept her distance so that he would not know she was following him. She noticed that Durithil, her father's horse, did not seem pleased being towards the busy marketplace. He did not enough all the noise and fuss that the people made. Even before he the man arrived on the outskirts of the marketplace Durithil bulked as a woman beat a rug against her house to rid it of any dirt or debris before she tried to sell it. Another woman's screams could already be heard as she called out the names of her goods.  
"Eggs!" the woman screamed, "Fresh chicken!" Arlin found her pace suddenly beginning to lessen. She no longer liked having to face the people of her town and she avoided going to the market whenever she could. Arlin took a deep breath and slowly exhaled trying to calm herself. There was no way she was going to turn back now. She wasn't going to let the evil nobleman get away with stealing her horse. Durithil was one of the few things left in the world that she cared about. The stallion was often timid and skittish but other times he seemed to have a confidence and spirit about him that Arlin loved. Now that she really thought about it he was very pleasing to the eye also. He had a shimmering black coat that was as dark as a raven's wing. Upon his forehead was a small white star that shone out between his too deep liquid brown eyes.  
Arlin finally reached the edges of the busy marketplace. She took one last deep sigh and entered. As she was first met with the busy sights of the marketplace Arlin did not even think about what she was leaving behind. For the first time in many years Arlin's mind seemed to have somehow forgotten her sick mother who now lay in bed probably sleeping. No all that Arlin thought about was the adventure that now lay ahead of her. Little did she think about the horrible things that would come because of her absence.  
  
So anyways please review let me know what you think. I'll post another chapter soon. 


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